25 Years of Nord in Italy and 15 Years of Motor Production

Double jubilee and outlook

Nord Drivesystems celebrates the 25th anniversary of its Italian subsidiary. In 1987, Nord Motoriduttori Srl was founded as a sales office for Italy with a staff of just three, including Gianfranco Ghermandi, today the subsidiary's director of sales. In order to fulfill the large demand for geared motors and to cut delivery times, the company moved to a larger facility and opened a gearbox assembly plant in 1996. In 1997, it started producing electric motors for the entire group of companies. Ghermandi explains, "Italy is home to many suppliers, therefore conditions for opening a motor production site were ideal. Since then, we have been expanding continuously." In 2003, the factory moved to San Giovanni in Persiceto in the Province of Bologna. Today, the Nord subsidiary employs approximately 150 people on a production floor of 10,000 m². With an annual capacity of 500,000 motors and 20,000 geared motors, Nord Italy is solely responsible for the motor supply to the important European and American markets. The subsidiary contributes largely to the success of the Nord Drivesystems Group. It supplies the Italian market directly and delivers motors to the German headquarters for international sales. "The distinguishing features of Nord are highest quality standards, state-of-the-art production facilities, and extremely fast deliveries", Ghermandi says. "We can deliver small to medium-sized geared motors in two to three weeks and larger ones in four weeks. Furthermore, we offer special delivery options, cutting waiting time down to as little as 24 hours." The plant contains a motor test room. Products include motors for all mains voltages worldwide, ATEX motors, special variants, and motors compliant with Canadian standards (CSA) as well as UL-certified motors for the US market. In 2009, the range of products was extended by efficiency class IE2 motors, followed, at the end of 2011, by the next higher level, IE3 motors. Ghermandi says, "Increased efficiency motors are not only environment friendly but should also be appealing from a commercial viewpoint. Therefore I hope that demand for them on the Italian market will grow in line with that in Northern Europe and the US." Since demand for electric motors and gearboxes has picked up as well as that for units with a larger output, Nord Motoriduttori is currently investing in plant automation and additional production lines. An expansion of the factory is underway. Floor space will increase to 15,000 m².